When I have a cut and pour hydrogen peroxide on it, my cut bubbles up and it burns. Why does it turn white and bubble? Why does it hurt when the peroxide touches it?

Someone told me hydrogen peroxide isn't good and it actually burns the skin. Is this true?

I've never heard anything negative about hydrogen peroxide. I've used it a lot with no problem. When it bubbles, it's referred to as boiling the germs out. If you use it on a really open cut, it will burn, but I don't think that's a problem. I've even known people to hold it in their mouth for toothache, but I wouldn't reccommend that. When it turns white, that's just part of the process of it working.

Have no fear, it's safe.

My kids doctor told me recently that I shouldn't use it on their cuts and scrapes. She said it wasn't good, but I can't remember why.

She said to use soap and water, put on antibiotic ointment, and a bandaid. She said things change every now and then. It used to be that the air was good for a cut because it dried it out. Now she says cuts and scrapes heal more quickly and with less scaring it they are kept covered and moist.

Of course this is only one doctor's opinion.

Twinhearts

In all of my wound care I do in nursing, we rarely use peroxide.. and if we do it is 1/2 or 1/4 strength (cut with sterile normal saline).

We wash with Normal Saline Solution or soap and water for the most part.

Peroxide is often used to actively combat specific bacteria that are in a wound.

Why does it bubble?
Hydrogen peroxide breaks down as follows:
2H₂O₂ ----> 2H₂O + O₂
Hydrogen peroxide -> water + oxygen

There is a protein (catalase) in blood that speeds up this reaction. The fast production of oxygen is seen as bubbles.


why does it turn my skin white and sting?
Peroxide is a strong oxidizing agent (what is an oxidizing agent, you ask? bleach is the most familiar example). It is this property that gives it its antseptic properties, causes skin to turn white, and stings.


Is it good?
As sher points out, it isn't used in hospitals much anymore. That's because it turns out that it really isn't that great of an antiseptic.

What great Answers!! Thanks!

I love this site!

Anyone else, feel free to add anything.

My brother, an MD, and my sister, an RN, both told me that hydrogen peroxide actualy retards healing.

Also, in much higher concentrations, it has been used as a rocket fuel.

2H2O2 - is used for rocket fuel - Think on that next time you pour it on -

Actually the gas of Hydrogen Peroxide is used as rocket fuel, Hydrogen is what is burnt, the oxygen that is released provides the oxidizer. But since Hydrogen Peroxide stays in liquid form at room temperatures, it make an ideal fuel for rockets.

Hydrogen peroxide is also used in bleaching hair products - Bleach Blonds use peroxide to get that blond colour.

I use Hydrogen peroxide in various weaknesses depending on what I am using it for. I only use it when the wound it infected (red, with puss). I use a 1 to 1 ratio of hydrogen peroxide and water as a gargle sometimes ( a couple times a year at most), especially if my teeth are showing those coffee and cigarette stains.... Or when I have bit by tongue or cheek.

Most often I use Hydrogen peroxide as a cleaning agent, such as for my tooth brush, or for cleaning the needle I use for digging out splinters (As a carpenter I get plenty of those). For my needle I follow with a rinse of alcohol. I will pour some down the drain if there is a bit of stench that baking-soda and vinegar hasn't gotten.

Hydrogen peroxide poured onto a wound not only kills infection but will kill a thin layer of healthy skin cells - Thus it will hamper the healing process.

It is also a bleaching agent, thus care must be had when using it, I have split a tad on a towel and the colour was a bit faded after a while.

I still use iodine. That red stuff that really stings, for cuts and punctures. It is getting harder and harder to find around here. For scratches and insect stings/bites I use a antiseptic spray bought over the counter, these are usually sting free and are used for insect bites, scratches, mild burns, sunburns, etc.

I will use neosporin underneath band-aids on problem wounds - For instance if I cut the top of my knuckle, I will use neosporin under the bandage to keep the scab soft, thus preventing cracking, pulling and breaking.

If an already scabbed over wound develops infection (redness around the wound) I will cover the wound with a bit of neosporin, cover it with a band-aid and let it sit 24-hours. Neosporine is an antibiotic and the oil will soften a scab and will leach into the wound.

I also used neosporine on the hinges of my doors when I couldn't find the vasoline -

Most cuts and scrapes and even deeper wounds are best treated with plain soap and water - Mind all of that antibiotic/antibacterial stuff we use is not really safe and will, in the long term, reduce our bodies abilities to fight the mild infections that we get from our day to day wounds.

The best treatments for any cut is to wash it with soap and water, pat it dry with a paper towel, let it finish air drying and apply a sterile bang-aid (band-aid).

If the wound is bleeding a little, you may want to let it bleed for a couple of minutes, the blood will coagulate on it's own forming a barrier between the body and the outside world. A good rule of thumb on that is if the blood is flowing fast, or if it continues bleeding for more than 2 minutes to go to hospital. For cuts, scratches and shallow puncture wounds the bleeding will stop in about 2 minutes on its own.

Bleeding is a good way for the body to clean the wound on its own, the flow of blood flushes the wound.

Since most bleeding will leave a larger than needed area of drying blood, I follow up with a damp paper-towel, washing away the excess blood, carefully leaving the fresh scab on the wound itself - covering with a bang-aid to protect the wounded area from dirt and debris.

Again, using the sprays, ointments, potions and what not are really not good, our bodies will develop strong immunities to infections if we give them a chance to do things naturally and learn to fight the various infections.

I insist that everyone gets a Tetanus shot every 10 years, this will prevent a lot of serious infections.

Cheers

David

Since there are side effects to all medicines, we'll just have to use the ones we think are best. As for me, Peroxide works great, but for someone else, it might not. This is the first time I've heard all this stuff. It's definitely not on the label. If your doctor advise against it, then he/she should give you an alternative.

Great answers though.

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Originally posted by Kendor:

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Originally posted by DvdGStwrt:
2H2O2 - is used for rocket fuel - Think on that next time you pour it on -

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_Pour it on??! Did you even click my link?_

quote:

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Originally posted by DvdGStwrt:
"Actually the gas of Hydrogen Peroxide is used as rocket fuel, Hydrogen is what is burnt, the oxygen that is released provides the oxidizer. But since Hydrogen Peroxide stays in liquid form at room temperatures, it make an ideal fuel for rockets...[some 3000 other words]"

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_I don't think that's right David. Perhaps methos, or someone else, can clarify??_

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Well gee wiz Kendor if you want me to be more specific and write a whole more lot more than I will be most happy to do so.

I simplified in order to cut down my wordage to something approaching a readable text.

One of the reasons why I go on, and on, and on, and on... is because people tend to want every, single last detailed word because they can not understand a simplified, generalized reference to a single thing.

When I generalize and simplify it is usually correct. In this case I am correct - in simplified and general terms.

I did not go on to say that the rocket fuel is a purer form of Hydrogen Peroxide - Nor did I get into how hydrogen is the fuel and the oxide is the oxidizer. Nor did I go into the mechanics of building a working liquid fueled rocket. I did not even touch on the fact that Hydrogen Peroxide is also used in some torpedoes as a fuel source.

However, if you require this information I will be most able and willing to provide each and every single detail on how to build a rocket, how to manufacture the hydrogen peroxide, and I can include a detailed budget breakdown on the cost over every, single part required for not only the rocket but the manufacturing process as well. I also can provide a detailed comparative analysis of all rocket fuels used to date and proposed fuels, their impulse, their thrust and can also do a detailed explanation, providing the math as well, on nozzle shape and size and their combined effects on the total thrust provided, including fuel to payload ratios. I can also provide you with the mass energy equations, and detailed, long winded lecture on these, their history and what it all means to us in our daily lives.

And I also could take you down a few side streets as well, including a very detailed mission statement on say a mission to Mars, which would be a detailed accounting over everything from the needed mass for life support systems, to how much each and every astronaut would need to eat and the wastes they would produce over the full mission.

I did not get involved with these subjects, touching very lightly on Rocket Science since it has really nothing to do with subject at hand - Hydrogen Peroxide and the human body.

Which, other than questioning my generalized, simplified comments on rocketry, I note here you had nothing to say about the rest of the information I provided, except to point out that I am verbose.

Cheers

David